San Jose: Two workers badly burned in electrical panel blast

SAN JOSE -- An electrical fire critically burned two men early Saturday as they were hooking up power to a circuit panel, firefighters said.

San Jose firefighters were dispatched at 9 a.m. to the scene at 71 Daggett Drive near Montague Expressway and North First Street to a report of two men unconscious after a flash fire, said San Jose fire Capt. Reggie Williams.

The men had been doing some electrical work on the property, connecting the main building to the electrical panel, Williams said.

"Some kind of flash fire occurred at the electrical box," Williams said. "I don't know if they crossed wires or what. It set both of the workers on fire. They were able to exit the immediate location and roll around on the ground to put the fire out."

When firefighters arrived, they found one of the men on the ground and the other walking around, Williams said. Both men suffered first- and second-degree burns on more than 30 percent of their bodies, he said. They were taken to the Santa Clara Valley Medical Center burn unit in critical condition, he said.

There was no damage to the building other than to the electrical box, and no other injuries, Williams said. The men were not identified.

San Jose police, Pacific Gas and Electric Co. and the California division of Occupational Safety and Health were called in to investigate, Williams said.

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Biotechnology company Finesse Solutions LLC announced in June 2009 that it was moving from Santa Clara to that San Jose address as part of a business expansion. But company representatives could not be reached for comment Saturday, and it was unclear whether the men were working for Finesse.